Poland’s final group game against the Ukraine is very crucial. The Poles need at least a draw here in order to guarantee themselves a spot in the next round. That shouldn’t prove to be too much of a task for them considering that they’ll be facing a much-weaker and winless team in the form of Ukraine. Can Poland take full advantage of this final group stage match, or will the Ukrainians end their Euro 2016 campaign on a strong note?
Read on below for more information about this Group C clash. And while you’re at it, check out our preview of today’s other Group C showdown between Northern Ireland and Germany.
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Ukraine vs. Poland Preview
Where: Stade Velodrome, Marseille
When: Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Ukraine +320 vs. Poland -120, tie +205; total 2.0 – view all Euro 2016 lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Betting on Ukraine (+320)
Still, that shouldn’t stop Ukraine from doing its best to spoil to the Polish, who are trying to make it to the knock-out stage via a win or draw. That being said, expect the Blue and Yellows do everything they can to go out in style.
In order to do so, Ukraine’s got to tighten up their defense and receive some much-needed offensive punch from the either Andriy Yarmolenko or Yevhen Konoplyanka. Those two are undoubtedly their most reliable scoring threats, as both combined for eight of the country’s 17 goals during the qualifiers.
Besides those two, it’s possible that head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko could allot more playing time to his team’s talented young blood in Oleksandr Zinchenko and Viktor Kovalenko as well. This will definitely be a good opportunity for both players to exhibit their potential and in garnering some more experience.
Ukraine is undefeated in their previous five meetings (three wins, two draws) versus Poland.
Betting on Poland (-120)
Poland, needless to say, will continue to hope that its misfiring star striker and captain, Robert Lewandowski, can finally find the net later against the Ukrainians.
Lewandowski, the leading scorer during the qualifiers (13 goals), is still searching for his first goal in France. But even so, the Eagles, who are priced at -160 to score first in today’s match, have managed to still find some success as Lewandowski’s presence is more than enough to draw a lot of attention from defenders.
A proof of this is Arkadiusz Milik, who has been playing solidly for the Polish thus far. The talented striker from Ajax scored the country’s lone goal of the tournament during their opening victory over Northern Ireland. Milik also made a relatively strong impression in last Thursday’s 0-0 draw versus world champions Germany despite wasting two huge chances to score.
Speaking of that game, Poland’s defense was superb as well. It really disrupted the German’s flow of attack and ultimately prevented them from getting a shot on target in the first half for the first time since 1988 against Italy.
Having all of that said, the key to victory for Poland is to simply maintain their aggressiveness on both sides of the pitch. Lewandowski’s bound to continue attracting the attention of the Ukrainian defense, and Milik and co. ought to keep capitalizing on every scoring chance they see.
Writer’s Prediction
Poland (-120) wins it, 1-0.
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